Overview
This article shows you how to speed up your Access Volcanic website using simple techniques that don't require technical skills. You'll discover quick fixes you can make today, helpful tools to test changes, and when to get professional help.
Quick wins for faster loading
These simple changes can make your website noticeably faster and work well on mobile devices.
📌Note: Click on the link ➤ to expand the section you're interested in:
Optimise your images
Optimise your images
Image optimisation finds the perfect balance between speed and quality. While visually appealing websites grab candidate attention, slow loading due to oversized images significantly impacts your SEO.
Compress image file sizes:
Before adding images to your site, compress them into smaller file sizes. With the right tool, you can reduce file size without losing noticeable image quality.
Free compression tools include:
🤓 Tip: Lossy compression makes much smaller files with slight quality reduction, while lossless keeps perfect quality but larger files. For websites, lossy compression usually provides the best speed-quality balance.
Use correct image dimensions:
Match your image dimensions to their display size on your website. Uploading images much larger than their display size wastes bandwidth and slows loading times.
🤓Tip: You can find the recommended image sizes via Edit Mode. Look out for the blue tool tips next to the image to see what size you need.
Example: If your image displays as 500×300 pixels on the page, don't upload a 2000×1200 pixel image: The extra pixels slow loading without improving appearance.
You can use the below tools to resize images before uploading:
📌 Note: Your website includes built-in image editing software. However, we recommend resizing or compressing images beforehand to reduce upload time.
Choose optimal image formats:
Image Format | Description | Best For |
PNG | Supports transparency and handles graphics well | Logos, graphics, charts, images without lots of colour |
JPG | Widely used format for photos using lossy compression. Works best for complex colours and designs | Photos, complex designs, images without transparent backgrounds |
GIF | Supports 256 colours. Used for simple, short animations | Graphics, social media content, simple animations |
SVG | Vector image ideal for logos, icons, and simple graphics. Provides clarity at any size | Logos, icons, simple graphics, favicons |
WEBP | Modern web format. Supports lossy and lossless compression with smaller file sizes than JPG and PNG | Most images, photos, graphics, animated images |
🤓 Tip: WEBP format provides the best compression for web use whilst maintaining quality. Use this format when possible for optimal performance.
Streamline your content
Streamline your content
Small content changes make significant differences. Here are some suggestions:
Remove heavy elements:
Replace autoplaying videos with static images
Keep only essential images on each page
Write contact details as text instead of using images
Improve organisation:
Position important information at the top
Split very long pages into shorter ones
Delete old content you no longer need
Clean up tracking codes
Clean up tracking codes
Too many tracking scripts slow down your site:
Review your Page Tags:
Check the scripts in your Page Tags section and remove any unused or unnecessary codes.
Common items to remove:
Old Google Analytics codes
Unused social media widgets
Duplicate tracking scripts
🤓 Tip: If you use Google Tag Manager, regularly review the tags it adds to your site. These accumulate over time and can slow your website.
📌 Note: Test your site after removing codes to ensure everything functions correctly.
Use Design Studio
Use Design Studio
If you have Design Studio, enhance your website's performance by:
Hide or remove heavy or unnecessary page sections
Simplify your style by replacing sliders with tables, and buttons
Using the device preview feature to optimise your site for mobile devices
🤓Tip: You can also use your browser's Device Mode to check your site looks on mobile.
📌 Note: See our Design Studio guide to learn more about these features.
Track your improvements
Regular testing helps you monitor progress and identify new issues. Test monthly and after making changes to verify improvements.
📌Learn more about testing tools in our Understanding page speed guide
Get support team assistance
Our team provides technical improvements beyond your direct control.
Request free website review
Our support team can help by reviewing your website's content and settings and providing recommendations and implementing any technical improvements to help improve your site's performance.
Getting started: Use the Digital Assistant in your admin area to request a page speed review and get immediate improvement tips.
📌See our Use the Access Digital Assistant guide for detailed instructions
Need more help?
Try the Guided or Expert led value pathway for SEO & Attraction. These paths will guide you to better performance boosts through our professional services and guided assistance from our Customer Success Team.
📌Note: To start, take the assessment and follow the paths from there.
🤓Tip: If you're a Premier customer, contact your Customer Success Manager to explore options that meet your needs.
FAQs
Q1: What's the easiest way to speed up my site?
Answer: Compress your images before uploading: this usually makes the biggest difference you can control.
Q2: How do I know if my changes worked?
Answer: Once your cache is cleared, use Google PageSpeed Insights to test before and after: compare the scores to see improvements.
Q3: Will these changes affect how my site looks?
Answer: No, most speed improvements work behind the scenes without changing your site's appearance.
Q4: How quickly will I see results?
Answer: Image improvements show up immediately, technical changes may take a few hours to fully take effect.
Q5: What if I'm not comfortable making changes myself?
Answer: Contact our support team through the Digital Assistant: we provide free help with technical improvements.
Q6: Will a faster site help my search rankings?
Answer: It should do. Google favours faster websites in search results, and users prefer sites that load quickly.
Q7: How often should I check my site's speed?
Answer: Monthly reviews of key pages, plus quick checks after adding new content or making changes.
Q8: Can I upload WEBP images directly to my website?
Answer: Yes, your website supports uploading WEBP images directly. This format provides excellent compression with high quality, making it ideal for faster loading times.
Q9: Will Google Tag Manager slow down my website?
Answer: Yes, if you have many unused tags accumulating over time. Regularly review your Google Tag Manager dashboard to disable unused tags and consolidate similar tracking codes.
Q10: How do I access the SEO & Attraction assessment?
Answer: Take the assessment through the guided or expert-led value pathway. Your Customer Success Manager can provide direct access if you're a Premier customer.
Q11: What's the difference between Guided and Expert-led pathways?
Answer: Guided provides self-service resources with regular Customer Success Manager check-ins, while Expert-led involves our team handling implementation while you focus on your core business.
Q12: Are the professional services available to all customers?
Answer: Yes, these chargeable services are available to all customers upon request. They include additional consultation work and custom web design or development performed by our Services team that go beyond your standard contract entitlements. Contact your Customer Success Manager (if you have one assigned) or your Account Manager to explore options.
Q13: Why do my images look stretched or distorted on my website?
Answer: If you upload images that don't match the display dimensions on your website, they can appear stretched, pixelated, or distorted. When WebP conversion is enabled, this visual distortion becomes more noticeable. Always resize images to match their intended display size before uploading to ensure they appear crisp and professional.